Electric-circuit controller.



H. D. JAMES.

LECTRIC CIRCUIT CONTROLLER FILED MAY 23.1908.

APPUCATION Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

LEG-L001.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR ATTRNFv UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY 13. JAMES, 015 PITTSBURGH PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOLR BY MESNE ASSIGN-MENTS, TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF EASTPITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC-CIRCUIT CONTROLLER.

T (ZZZ whom it may concern.

Be it known thatl, T'TENRY D. Jamns, a-

of Pittsburgh. in the county of Allegheny and State ct Pennsylvania,have invented a new and useful improvement in Electric- Circuit(li'mtrollers, of which the following is a specification.

' ention relates to electric circuit and it has for its object toprovide a device or this character that shall be simple and durable inconstruction and specially adapted for controlling small motors such asare treip'ieutly employed for driving" textile machinery.

My improved switching device is very compact and may be easily repairedor replaced, and it also ditt'ers from the controllers ot the prior artin various important particulars. I Figure l of the accompanyingdrawings is an elevation. with the supporting and in-- closing parhshown in section on a line TT of Fig. 2. o a circuit controllerconstructed in accordance with my invention, and Fig.

2 is a plan view of the controller shown in Fig. 1 the inelosing'casingbeing); shown in section on a. line ll-ll of Fig. 1, to disclosethe operating" parts.

Rotter-ring to the drawings, the controller here illustrated has aninclosing casing 1 composed of a top casting 2 and a heet,-

and comprises a plurality of metal tank 3 'wardlv projecting lugs S) andof the top casting; 2 by means oi bolts 1]. and the corn tact-bearingshafts 12 and 13 are supported thereby and project dewnwa'rdlytherefrom.

The upper end ll of the shaft 12 projects into a. hole 15 in thesupporting casting 8 and is rigidly secured in position by a dowel pin.10. The major portion oil the shaft 12 substantially square in crossection and provided with a sleeve 17 of insulating material. The shaft13 is similarly supported by the casting except that it projectstin-ouch a hole and is journ'aled therein, the crapk arm upper end.

The top walloit the casting 2 is provided with a boss having a hole 21that is sub- Specification of Letters Patent.

6 being secured. to its stantially in alinement with the shaft 13 andserves as a bearing for a short shaft 22 that forms a part of the crankarm 7 and is provided with an operating handle 23. The outer end of thecrank arm 7 is provided with a downwardly projecting pin 25 and theouter end of the crank arm 6 is similarly provided with an upwardlyprojecting pin 26, the said pins being connected together by a helicalspring27, which holds the crank arm 6 against a stop 19 when the handle23 is in position min Fig. 2.

A terminal block 28 of insulating material is secured tothe base plate 8above the shaft 12 by means of bolts 29 and is provided with a pluralityof terminal. binding posts 30. The top'casting 2 is provided with anopening directly above the terminal block 28 over which is fitted adetachable cover plate 31- in order that the connecting leads may bereadily secured to, or detached from, the terminal posts Each of thestationary terminal members 1 comprises a member 35 of U-shape which isfitted upon the insulating sleeve 17 and a contact strip 36 which issecuredto the ends of the U-shaped member by screws 37.

Each U-shaped member 35 is provided with. a boss 38 to which a terminalclip 39, is fas tened, suitable conductors (not shown) being interposedbetween said terminal clips and the terminal posts 30. The several sta-'tionary terminal members t are separated byarc shields or spacing plates40 which are also secured to the U-shaped' members 35.

Each of the movable Contact fingers 5 comprises a base &l,'which issecured to the Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

Application filed May 28, 1908. Serial No. 434,837.

insulated rod 13 by a clamping screw 31 a;

r i'l rigid arm l2, and a resihent arm 43 having a contact'block 4:41 atits outer end. The resihent arm 43 is secured to the r gid arm 42 nearthe base ll by an adjusting bolt 45 and movement of the conta'iot block4:4: with reference to the outer end of the arm 42 may be limited by ascrew 46.

Each clamping screw 31 is provided with a clip 32 from which a.conductor (not shown) leads to a corresponding terminal post 30, therebeing a terminal post for each finger as well as one for each terminalmember l. When. it is desired to close the circuit, the handle 23 ismoved from position a to position I), thus placing the spring 27nnder'fireater tensiql and, at the same ols ill

time, swinging it upon the pin 26 as a can ter until it passes the axisof the shaft 2:2 when it will quickly move the crank arm 6 away from itsstop 19 and thus throw the fingers into engagement with thecorresponding contact strips 36, the reverse or opening movement being asimilar snap movement.

Blocks 47 project inwardly from the walls of the tank 3 at diametricallyopposite points and are provided with bolts 48 to i'it into recesses s9and 50 in the lugs 9 and 10 of the casting 2 and clamp the blocks andlugs together.

in service, the controller or switch illustrated is usually secured to avertical. wall or plate by bolts or other suitable means which securethe top casting 2 in position. It is therefore possible to quickly andeasily remove the entire switching; mechanism by first loosening theboltsell and removing the tank 3 and then unscrewing the bolts 11 byWhich the casting or supporting plate 8 is secured to the lugs 9 and 10.

Since the spring .27 is provided with open hook ends to engage the pinsand 26, it Will not interferewith the removal of the base plate and theparts supported thereby.

' t will be readily understood that. in case of accident to thecontroller, the operating parts may be quickly and easily replaced byduplicate parts and, since, in textile work, it is desirable to en'iploya large number of such switches at various points about a ma.- chine,the advantages of this arrangement are readily apparent.

It is conceivable that various structural modifications may be effectedwithin the scope of my invention, as defined in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. in a sivitcl'iing device, the combination with a horizontal baseplate and two downwardly projecting shafts, one of which is rigidly andthe other of which is rotatably supported by said base plate and isprovided with a crank arm, of a. set of contact terminal members securedto the rigidly supported shaft. :1 set of resilient contact fingerssecured to the rotatably supported shaft, an operating handle having acrank arm and a spring connecting the free ends of the crank armstogether for imparting a snap movement to the rotatably mounted shaft.

'2. in a switching device, the combination with a hollow top casting, ahorizontal plate detachably secured thereto, a stationary shaft securedto the plate and projecting downwardly therefrom, and contact terminalmembers secured to said shaft and insulated therefrom, of a second shaftsubstantially parallel to the first and having a substantiallycylindrical upper end which projects through a hole in the horizontalplate and is journaled therein, a crank arm secured to the upper end ofthe shaft, contact lingers secured to the shaft below the plate, anoperating crank arm rotatably sup ported by said casting, and resilientmeans for operatively connecting said crank arms together.

3. A controller comprising a casing, a base plate removably secured tosaid casing, a set of stationary contact terminal members, and a set ofmovable contact terminal members supported by said base plate, anoperating handle and a crank arm'mounted on said casing, a crank armrigidly connected to said movable contact tern'iinal members. and aspring to the respective ends of which said crank arms are dctachablyconnected.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 16th dayof May,

HFNRY D. JAMES. \Vitncsses lflnwm Luna, BIRNEY llnzns.

